Define Family
by StoriesOfANobody
Summary: Whether it's Ellie teasing Joel about his old age or Tommy playing the submissive husband, there's always a word to describe it. A Word-a-Day drabble project.
1. Chapter 1

Lampoon: to make fun of or mock. 

Joel rubbed his neck. He reminded himself to never sleep in an upright car chair again. His age was catching up to him and it did not feel good.

"Joel? You okay?" Ellie asked. They were nearing Jackson, where Tommy would be waiting for them. The car they "borrowed" ran out of gas. While Joel really didn't like Ellie leaving the safety of a moving vehicle, he knew there was no way she would stay behind.

"Fine. Just feeling my age is all," Joel replied, rummaging through a dresser.

"What age would that be, 75?" Ellie snickered good-naturally. He rolled his eyes.

"You are way off."

"Too low? How about 80?"

"I'm forty-seven, thank you very much," Joel grumbled and went to the next room. She followed after him, still grinning.

"Pfft, right," Ellie scoffed. Joel glanced at her and smirked.

"How old you say you were? Ten?" Ellie glared.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry, I know I suck. In my defense the internet has been on the fritz. We just switched and there was some kind of technical mishap. Big unneeded hassle really. But since you guys have been so good, (not really, I've got more scars than reviews right now,) I'll update more than once today. /Here's where the story starts/

Uxorious: excessively devoted or submissive to ones wife.

"Tommy, the guys up in engine room eight need some help," Maria said. Joel glanced across the poker table at his brother. Tommy smiled sheepishly. He pulled his radio from his belt.

"Be right there," Tommy replied, then turned to his fellow card players."Sorry, boys."

They all groaned in protest.

"Come on, it was just getting good!"

"We've been waiting for this all month."

"Yea, Tommy. Can't ya stay just this once?"

Tommy shook his hand as he folded his cards. "The wife calls, I answer."

"Maria's got you whipped, little brother," Joel chuckled.

Tommy smirked. "You just remember she's teaching that little girl of yours everything she knows."


	3. Chapter 3

Nirvana: a state of bliss, state of perfect calm or peace.

Ellie was sick. Not just an average cold, but the flu. Thankfully the reformed town of Jackson had a doctor.

"Joel, don't feel good," Ellie sniffled as they sat in the tiny waiting room. He squeezed her hand.

"I know, baby girl. Just hang in there."

"Next!" The doctor called from another room. Joel stood up, pulling Ellie along with him.

"It's the flu, Doc," Joel said. Doc waved his hands.

"Hold on, who's the doctor here? Me. So I know what's wrong with you, not you," the man told Joel.

"I'm not sick, she is." Ellie sneezed to prove his claim.

"Oh," Doc muttered. Clearly this was not a good doctor.

"Right then, painkiller for the fever and plenty of bed rest. She should be right as rain in a few days." Joel watched warily as Doc took a handful of pills and handed them to Ellie. She swallowed them without thinking twice.

That evening, they were home and Joel was talking with Tommy.

"All I'm sayin' is your doctor ain't as good as he thinks he is," Joel stated.

"He has a medical degree," Tommy pointed out. Joel opened his mouth to argue when suddenly there was a noise.

"Joel, there's giraffes my room!" Ellie yelled happily. Tommy stared at the stairs.

"Is that code for something?" He asked. Joel was already halfway to the second floor, so Tommy followed him. They reached Ellie's room and heard giggling. Throwing open the door, the brothers spotted Ellie leaning out the window to pet the air.

"Ellie!" Joel yelled, lunging to pull her back in before she fell. Loopy, she tilted her head back to see Joel.

"Oh hi," Ellie grinned, then faltered slightly. "Hey, did you know you have a pink beard?"

Tommy shook his head and laughed.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Joel snapped, desperately trying to think of what could be wrong with his baby girl.

"I've seen this before. She had a bit too many painkillers. She'll be fine after a while, but right now Ellie's making as much since as teen pop song." Ellie looked up at him.

"I'm not Ellie. I'm Phil!" She threw her hands in the air and fell back on the bed. Joel sighed. Well, at least she wasn't in pain anymore.

* * *

A/N: AGH WHAT HAPPENED IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THAT LONG AND HOW DOES THAT EVEN RELATE TO THE WORD?! *sigh* The Last of Us feels are really quite bothersome. By the way, I highly recommend you read Aftermath fanfic series. It'll rip at your heart strings, but holy smokes, it's good.


	4. Chapter 4

Bacchanal: an occasion of wild and drunk revelry. 

Never had a better party been held than the one in Jackson Wyoming on New Year's Eve. It was big, it was warm, and there was liquor. By far the best party in years. It might have helped that Tommy convinced Ellie to do stand up comedy.

"I used to be addicted to soap...but I'm clean now." The (slightly drunken) crowd roared with laughter. Except Joel, who had heard all of the jokes at least a dozen times. He just smirked at Ellie's ridiculous grin and stirred his drink absently.

"She's a regular comedian, you know. Glad I thought of it." Tommy pulled up a chair, gesturing to the makeshift stage. Joel raised an eyebrow."This was your idea?"

"Yea, unless I'm in trouble, then I have no idea what you're talking about." Laughing, Joel shook his head. "You shoulda seen her before she got up there. Poor kid was shaking in fear."

"Stage fright?" Tommy said, glancing up at Ellie. She seemed perfectly calm. "She hides it well."

"Mmm, that might be my fault," Joel mumbled, scratching his beard.

"You teaching her that stuff, big brother? Maria's gonna be pissed," Tommy grinned. The old man shrugged. "You try and stop her. I cannot make her to do anything. She thinks she's grown up enough to know everything."

"I remember someone else like that," Tommy commented wistfully. "Yeah. They'd be thick as thieves," Joel chuckled weakly. Tommy smiled up at the ceiling.

"I imagine they get their way a lot, too."

"And I would never get a minute of peace."

Tommy listened to Ellie's next joke as he rubbed his head. "How do you get holy water? You boil the hell out of it." The crowd chuckled a bit, most groaning at the utter stupidness.

"Oh, and we'd all die of bad jokes."

"Yep."

They went on, drinking and discussing the shared traits between the two girls. When she ran out of horrible puns, Ellie slid into the seat next to Joel.

"Never again, Tommy," she said, leaning against her father figure exhaustedly.

"I thought you were good," the younger brother claimed.

"It was fucking scary up there, you asshole," she turned to Joel. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about," He said, failing to suppress a grin. Ellie crossed her arms.

A/N: That other girl was Sarah by the way. :D

Okay, all of this story has been on my phone so far, so I have no idea how it looks to you people on laptops. My apologies if it looks like an eight year old typed it.

**SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR AFTERMATH AHEAD! **Remember the last chapter when I was all like, "Hey everybody read the Aftermath series!"? Yea...To all those who just read the newest chapter, kitten therapy does not help. Tissue?


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I gotta say, this is probably my favorite one so far.

* * *

Rue: to bitterly regret something. 

Looking back, maybe kicking that annoying boy in the nuts wasn't a good idea. It was fun sure, but now that Ellie lived in Jackson, the reformed town that took no shit, she had to pay the price for getting into fights. Which was why she was sitting in jail at the moment. Who knew that boy was the sheriff's nephew?

Ellie sighed for what must have been the twentieth time. This wasn't her first time in solitary confinement for doing something wrong, but it was the most boring. The cell was completely bare except for a clock that didn't tick.

It eerily reminded her of another cold cell, but she forced herself to remember that this was not there, this was not then, and _he_ was dead.

She waited for Joel, Tommy, or Maria to come rescue her from the clutches of the evil sheriff, who clearly knew nothing about revenge or justice and would regret putting her in here without a sufficient source of entertainment. It had been hours since they stuck her in here. No one came to check on her, no one came to rescue her. Yet.

Ellie pondered the possibility that they might've forgotten about their prisoner. She went to sigh again, when someone started shouting from the other room. Grinning, Ellie realized her savior was here.

"I don't care who you are, you can't just put her in there!" Joel growl/shouted. That douche of a sheriff was gonna get it, Ellie thought happily.

The door connecting the front room to the room where the prisoners where held, flew open. Joel stormed in.

"Joel! Over here," Ellie yelled, grasping the bars in excitement. He didn't look too happy, but at least it wasn't directed at her.

It took Joel a minute to find the right key. As soon as he had the correct one, the door opened in a similar manner as the other. Ellie rushed forward to embrace her adopted father.

"You took way too long," she said into his chest.

"We had to find you first, kiddo," he replied and gave her an extra squeeze. She broke the hug to stare at him curiously.

"We? Who else is there?"

"Tommy and Maria came along, too." Well, what do you know? Ellie had hoped for one of them and she got all three. Pretty cool, if she did say so herself.

They walked to the front room, where Tommy was giving the deputy and sheriff the stink eye, and Maria was standing next to a guilty looking blonde boy. Ellie recognized the jerk as the one who she attacked.

"Why's he here?" She whispered to Joel.

"Led us to you," the old man grunted.

"Oh. Well, thanks for not being an asshole again, dude," Ellie told the boy awkwardly. He nodded sheepishly and ducked his head.

"Let's go," Joel ordered, halfway to the door.

"Sure, just give me a second." She turned her attention to the sheriff and promptly punched him in the gut. The evil sheriff guy doubled over in pain.

Smiling triumphantly, Ellie followed Joel home.


	6. Chapter 6

Snafu: a mistake or blunder

Ok, the first thing you need to known is I didn't steal anything. Except from Bill, but that's irrelevant. I did not steal from Walmart.

Yet I ended up in the squad car.

Yes, I was doing some mild vandalism, but is drawing mustaches on ketchup bottles really that incriminating? The world we live in these days...

"Our little thief here-"

"Not a thief!" I yelled to the cop. He rolled his eyes.

"That's what they all say, brat," he replied. I growled under my breathe. Someone days I wish slapping a cop wasn't illegal. And I wish that I wasn't in handcuffs but that's less often than the other.

"Anyway, the brat's gotta record, and she was in the area of where we lost the crook," the officer told the younger cop. The record part was for stealing from Bill, ditching class, and getting caught in a employ only area. Typical teenager stuff.

"So? She doesn't have the stolen jewelry on her, does she?" The younger cop said.

"Thank you!" I shouted to Nice Cop.

Bad Cop glared.

"Plus the thief had brown hair, not red," Nice Cop added. Bad Cop sputtered indignantly.

"It's easy to mistake the color! The thief was wearing a ball cap!"

Nice Cop glanced at me. "Miss, do you have on a hat?"

Oh, I like this guy. "No, officer, I don't."

"See? Maybe she was drawing on some condiments but that's not theft. You got the wrong person, Harriet," Nice Cop said.

"Harriet?" I snickered. Harriet scowled at both of us. He threw the keys to my handcuffs at Nice Cop and stomped off. Nice Cop smiled as he opened the cab door.

"Thanks for clearing me," I said, handing him the unlocked handcuffs. He stared at them confusedly.

"You got free?"

"Uh...I have experience with handcuffs." Nice Cop ran his fingers through his brown hair. I could tell he was still confused.

"So Harriet wasn't lying about your record?" He asked, putting the cuffs in his belt.

"Eh, mostly petty stuff. You know, skipping class, going where I'm not supposed to go," I replied, leaning casually on the car.

"Yea, my buddies in high school were like that," Nice Cop chuckled. "I still gotta fine you for vandalism, kid."

"Hey, I'm almost sixteen! And it was worth it." He laughed as he pulled out his notebook.

"What in the- Ellie! I sent you to get eggs and you end up arrested?"

Wincing, I turned to face Joel. He had his arms crossed and that look on his face that said I wasn't going playing many video games that month. Sarah stood behind him, rolling her eyes at me. She wouldn't have a partner to play Zombie Killer 4 with.

"Dad-"

"Don't you "Dad" me. This is the second time this month," Joel scolded. He sounded like a mother when he got like this. Sarah was silently giggling behind him.

"Joel, hear me out! I'm not getting arrested," I defended.

"It's true, sir. It was a mistaken identity," Nice Cop said. Joel looked from him to me.

"And who're you?"

"Officer Talon," Nice Cop responded. Talon; now that's a cool name.

Joel grunted in grudging agreement. "Fine."

I mentally cheered for Talon. That's twice he'd gotten me out of a tight spot today. Police officers have very useful authority.

The radio in the squad car babbled off a bunch of nonsense and Talon leaned in the window to answer. When he was done, he smiled sadly.

"Duty calls. No offense, miss, but I hope not to see you again anytime soon," Talon said. I grinned up at him.

"Thank you, sir," I told him. Sarah bobbed her head.

"Yea, I don't think Dad would bail her out again after the last time."

I elbowed her, blushing as Talon laughed. We saluted and he drove away.

Joel started towards the automated doors. Sarah exchanged a look with me.

"Um...where're you going?" I asked. Joel glanced back and gave us a "duh" look.

"We still gotta get eggs."

I shot up in my sleeping bag. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned. What a weird dream...

* * *

A/N: Haha, Joel sounds like a mom.

Not reviewing means you love David! So...review. Cuz obviously no one loves David.


	7. Chapter 7

I paced around the chairs twice, sat down, counted to twenty, stood back up, and paced again. Sarah was bouncing her knee while she stared at the overhead television playing the news.

"Ellie, sit down," Tess said gently. She was rubbing Sarah's back comfortingly.

"Can't," I mumbled, walking past the chairs for the third time. Tess grabbed my shoulder.

"Listen to me. Joel and Tommy are going to be fine."

I stared at her. The brothers were on a plane, flying right past a bad storm, with nowhere to land. I supposed Tess, Sarah, and Maria looked on the hopeful side. I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Rubbing my arms, I shook my head.

"We hope they're alright. Tess, they could be-"

"Don't say it," Sarah interrupted, looking sick. Maria looked equally ill, but she had nothing to say.

"Sit," Tess commanded. Finally relenting, I sat down beside my almost sister and grabbed her shaking hand. My stomach was twisting into knots and my throat was tight. Tears threatened to fall. I looked at Sarah, who had silent tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I don't wanna lose Dad," She whispered to me. Gritting my teeth in order to not cry, I offered a weak smile.

"Do you really think Joel would leave us in a plane crash? If anything he'd go down fighting ten bears with nothing but a toothpick and a rubber band," I said. Sarah grinned slightly.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Els."

"Does that mean it worked?" I asked. She shook her head slowly. I frowned again, dropping back into a funk.

"You girls want anything to eat?" Maria spoke. Tess held up a plastic bowl of noodles.

"No," Sarah and I answered simultaneously. We both were too worried to care about a silly little thing such as eating. I felt Sarah squeeze my hand.

"Look." I glanced at the bay window that showed the runway. A plane was just touching down.

"Is it them?" I said, looking up at Tess. She watched the aircraft hopefully.

"I don't know, kiddo." Her emotions were carefully hidden (probably something Joel taught her) to spare Sarah and I any extra worry, but for a second, her mask fell. I saw fear, worry, hope, and love. You'd never guess Tess had a soft heart unless you were either a genius or you had hung around her for a while.

Sarah was stock still beside me as the plane docked. My lungs ached and I realized I had been holding my breath. Another few torturous minutes, and the plane began unloading. Passenger after passenger emerged until the stream of people began to slow.

"I don't see them," Maria frowned. Sarah dropped her head, but I wasn't giving up so easily. Finally, the last two passengers stepped out.

"What?" Sarah said as I excitedly tapped her arm. I pointed to the men searching the crowd.

And the next second I was being dragged toward Tommy and Joel because Sarah had forgotten to let go of my hand. Joel grinned widely. Tommy greeted us with a hug, but you could tell he was paying more attention to the women that trailed behind us. Joel pulled Sarah and I into a bear hug.

"Dad!" we both yelled as he crushed our ribs.

"Hey, baby girls."

Then Joel was yanked up by his collar. I turned to see Tess and him kissing like there was no tomorrow. It was kind of funny because Joel looked completely caught off guard.

"Ah, gross," I whispered. Sarah giggled.

"You girls don't need to see that," Tommy chuckled and covered our eyes.

"Hey, I'm sixteen!" I argued, prying the hand away.

"Yea, and I'm fourteen!" Sarah said.

"Hello, Sixteen and Fourteen, I'm Tommy," He replied, laughing. Sarah and I exchanged looks, rolling our eyes.

Maria had finally weaved through the crowd. She hugged Tommy and muttered, "You are never going on another plane ride again."

"Yes, ma'am," Tommy responded.

By then, Joel had been released. He looked dazed but happy.

"Never do that again, cowboy," Tess said, poking him in the chest. He nodded diligently.

* * *

**A/N:** Kind of an abrupt ending, but I couldn't think of anything else. I purposely left questions unanswered in this one, so use your imagination.

Slightly-lovesick Joel and big-sister Ellie are fun to write. :D

Next one will be in the regular universe again, unless I get comments saying different.

Likes, Follows, and Reviews are much appreciated. For those of you who haven't been doing the previously mentioned, I see how it is. It's just a review. It takes like five seconds.

Also, (_AND DON'T STEAL THIS IDEA OR I WILL FIND YOU_) I'm thinking of writing a story were Ellie and Sarah switch places, and Ellie is Joel's daughter that dies in the beginning and Sarah is the one who has to deal with an almost-coldblooded-killer and anti-social Joel while she slowly starts to see him as a father. It should follow the original plot pretty closely, but with a few exceptions. Please advise.


	8. Chapter 8

Before we begin might I say: **YES I KNOW ELLIE IS OFFICIALLY GAY.** But in my wonderland (aka my brain) she is a lover not a judger. Meaning it doesn't matter.

Also, OMG IM NOT DEAD! I've been taking acting classes and VBS so I've been booked. Andreallylazy.

* * *

**Paternalistic**:

"Ellie!"

She jerked upright, hand edging towards her pistol. Joel gave her a tired look.

"I was talkin' to you," he said, and stowed a bottle in his pack. They were on an two day run for supplies. Tommy shoved the responsibility on them this month, but Joel had taken it immediately. There weren't many enemies in the area so it was like a mini-vacation.

But lately Ellie was horribly distracted. It was the third time today she'd been caught daydreaming.

"You think Tommy and them'll be alright without us?" Ellie asked. He nodded.

"They were doin' fine before we got there."

She just hummed thoughtfully and went back to checking for bullets. Reflecting on the question, Joel stood up.

"Is that all you're worrying bout?"

Ellie didn't respond so he tapped her shoulder. She still didn't react.

Time to be fatherly, he thought to himself with a small sigh. Joel sat down and whistled. This time her head shot up.

"Huh?" She said blankly. He motioned to the seat opposite of him. She sat down.

"Talk," he ordered.

"It's a guy."

Shit, he thought. It was only a matter of time before she got interested in boys. It didn't help that the teenagers in Jackson weren't exactly bad looking. Joel rubbed his temple.

"Is he being mean or courtin' with you?" He tried to play dumb.

She frowned, plopping her chin in her hand. "Neither."

Joel wasn't making the connection. "What's the problem?"

Ellie stared at him. He stared back. She made some kind of motion with her head. He blinked.

"Ya know," Ellie said as if it explained everything.

"No, I don't," Joel answered. She blushed tomato red and hid her face.

"Mhhnaheo jaue." He struggled to make since of her mumbles. She gave an exhausted sigh.

"I have a stupid fucking crush and he won't notice me and...damn it, Joel! Stop fucking laughing!"

He was just chuckling lightly but she was humiliated.

"Sorry, baby girl. It's just funny how not two years ago you were thinking how crazy them girls were Before and now you're actin' like one of 'em," Joel explained, smiling softly. Ellie looked terribly offended.

"I am not!"

He just rolled his eyes. She gave him a look and continued.

"Be glad I'm ignoring your asshole-ery. Anyway, you might know him. Nick?"

Joel scratched his beard in thought. Yea, he knew of Nick. The kid was maybe three years older than her. He had short brown hair, was lanky, and while he was good with a rifle, he got awfully clumsy around her. Ellie didn't seem to notice, he thought with a smirk. Ah, young love.

Joel would have to crush that kid's hopes of getting anywhere close to first base as soon as they got back. Hell, he'd put the kid in the outfield if he could.

"I know him. My advice 'd be just to give it time, kiddo. The pyramids of Egypt weren't built in a day," Joel told her. Ellie squinted.

"Pyra-What?"

"Nothing."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Joel was on a mission. A mission of the utmost importance, a mission that could not delay any longer. He searched valiantly through the town, until, that afternoon, he found his target.

Nick. The boy Ellie was interested in. Joel had specifically asked Tommy to keep his gun for the day. Just in case.

While he remained calm when Ellie mentioned Nick, he often began to think what would happen if she finally caught him. Joel's conclusion was disaster. He had a hard enough time watching his second baby girl grow up and kill people, but boys were a whole other topic. He wasn't prepared.

Joel spotted the young man in the town square. It seemed he was just coming home from the day shift at the wall.

He almost didn't call him out. The poor guy must've been dog tired.

Then again, this was Ellie's crush.

"Hey, son!" Joel yelled to get the boy's attention. Nick turned and went pale.

"Oh shit."

This would be fun.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: yes, yes, I know. I've been busy with various activities though, and neglected my poor fans. I apologize. Hopeful this little gem will quench your thirst.

It's actually kinda different from the previous drabbles. An alternative if you will.

* * *

**Alternative: another possibility, something else.**

Ellie stepped out of the barn and stared down at the buck in disbelief. How the hell it had taken so many arrows she'd never know. She wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

As Ellie lowered the bow, a man stepped out from around the corner.

All she saw was a rifle slung over his shoulder.

Thinking quickly, the redhead lodged an arrow between the man's eyes.

"Oh, shit!" Cried another guy as he fumbled for his gun. Ellie took him out too.

The teen cautiously edged towards the dead men. Their clouded eyes stared into nothingness and blood poured out of the wounds. She did a hasty pat down, searching for anything useful. In a hidden pocket on the first man, she found a pistol and a scrap of paper.

It was a list, like the one Joel had found back in Pittsburg. The list described the pounds of meat they'd hauled in. Doing a little math in her head, Ellie concluded that there wasn't enough animals out here for that much meat. Which meant they'd found other sources of food.

Grimacing and fighting to keep what little food she had down, she shoved the paper in the snow.

"That could've ended badly," Ellie muttered to herself. She moved on to the second man.

After a minutes worth of rummaging in his pockets, she hit something cold and glassy. The label was faded but readable. Luck was on her side today. It turned out to be a small vial of penicillin.

Ellie clutched the medicine to her chest, silently thanking whoever was responsible for her luck.

"Hang in there, Joel. I'm on my way."

With that, the girl tied a rope to the deers antlers and began to haul him the long way back.

It took about an hour to reach Callus. She had plenty of time to think.

Joel was getting worse. He had been doing pretty well with the medical supplies she'd savaged, but it wouldn't last forever. Two days ago, the painkillers ran out.

Since then, he had progressively gotten sicker. The night terrors came back, causing him to twist in his sleep and nearly rip the stitches out. Joel would come around for a few moments at a time, but those were horror to watch. He screamed in pain, pleading for relief.

It was pure torture.

Ellie was also running out of ammo. The infected drifted around, she took out the ones that came too close, and that depleted her supply. There was a couple pistol bullets left in her pocket, and maybe ten arrows, but that was it. Supplies needed to be gathered. She was hesitant to leave Joel's side however. It had taken nearly all her will power this morning to force herself into hunting.

Ellie wondered what Joel would do if she was the one who fell. If she didn't die as soon as the steel rod pierced her stomach, she figured Joel would scoop her up, storm them out of there in a hail of bullets, then miraculously save her with nothing but a bottle of Bourbon, some stitching, and a washcloth.

Her heart ached with a feeling she'd yet to identify. Something like loneliness, but there was bit more to it.

She thought about the men she'd just killed. There had to have been more were they came from. She would have to be more careful.

Ellie was so deep in thought, she almost ran into her horse. He gave an annoyed snort.

"Sorry, Callus."

She tied the rope end she'd been holding to the saddle, and mounted.

"Let's go," Ellie whispered. Callus trotted at a relatively fast rate. As an afterthought, she stuck to the river on the way back. Prints couldn't be made on the ice.

They made it back to the town she'd stowed away in. There was no river that ran to the house Joel was in, so she had to steer Callus to the snow and hope nobody would find them.

She stopped Callus at a garage, dismounted, and flung open the door. Ellie's numb fingers grasped the bottle and she mentally kicked herself for being so thoughtless.

"I need a syringe," she mumbled to no one. Maybe she'd begun to lose her mind with out a sufficient companion to talk to. Horses don't exactly respond. Then again, neither did Joel at times.

Ellie searched the bathroom for a syringe, praying luck would still be on her side. It was. In the middle drawer, laid a syringe.

"Yes!" She cheered quietly. Rushing back to Joel's side, she dipped the syringe in alcohol. Then she plunged the needle into the penicillin. Joel groaned in his sleep as she shot him with the antibiotics.

Ellie discarded the medical supplies and laid down next to Joel. She placed her hand over his heart. The steady pounding reassured her he wasn't leaving her anytime soon.

"You're going to be okay, Joel. You have to be."

* * *

I didn't turn this into a full story as I couldn't figure out how to go about extending it into something else. I'm sure you brainiacs will think of something I missed.

As I am running low on ideas, curse you imagination, feel free to PM with your ideas. (Full credit to you of course!) I'd love to hear them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Reminisce: talk about, recall.**

* * *

Tommy sat on his raggedy couch as wondered to himself if this counted as babysitting. He knew she was 15, nearly sixteen, but she was a child in his eyes. Not to her, to Ellie sixteen was fully grown and ready to take on the world. She was probably right, but neither he nor Joel wanted to believe that.

Ellie glared at the door. Joel left just under five minutes ago, saying he'd be back soon and no, she could not go too. This would usually lead to a argument, but today Tommy was there. He was supposed to "make sure she doesn't scamper off". Ellie hadn't run off in ages. Well, two weeks to be exact.

Ellie finally sighed and tore her gaze from the door. He wasn't coming back to get her after all.

She turned to look at Tommy. He gave an awkward grin.

"How're you and Joel doing?" Tommy asked. The teen shrugged.

"Okay, I guess."

Silence fell between them. Ellie stared at the wall with a scowl, obviously upset with his brother.

'Will Joel ever learn she just isn't the same when he's not around?' Tommy thought as he shook his head.

The two had grown close within their time here at Jackson, so close that he often caught Ellie referring to Joel as 'Dad'. The first time it terrified Joel, and after a huge mess to prove they were both stubborn mules that couldn't communicate at all, Joel grew to accept it. Tommy knew another daughter must hard to accept, especially one you couldn't always keep safe, but he was glad things turned out the way they did. Joel was still sensitive about Sarah and certainly still scarred, but he loved Ellie like his second daughter.

'I just hope this doesn't end badly.

Joel can't take another tragedy like Sarah's passing.'

Tommy paused to gather his thoughts.

"Hey, did I ever tell you about the time Joel got bullied in school?"

Ellie's eyes flicked over to him. She seemed interested, but he was never good at reading people.

"Well, you might not believe me but Joel was a runt in middle school." Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "No fucking way. You sure we're talking about the same Joel? Joel, the rough and tough zombie killing machine?" Tommy laughed as he nodded.

"That's the one. Back then he was a four feet an' seven inches, acne plagued teen. Everybody picked on him. He never let it bother him, though. Long as his grades were good. Mom and Dad...they took nothing but perfection. S'why they..."

Tommy stopped. Ellie very interested in Joel's past, since he never spoke of it himself. This particular part was when Sarah came in. He knew this was something Joel kept very quiet. So he changed topics.

"Never mind." Ellie immediately jumped in.

"No, wait, what about-"

"I can't tell you. S'private stuff. Joel'd have my head on a platter if I told you without his permission, so ask him yourself."

The girl fumed and shifted her eyes back to the front door. Tommy was losing her. He tried to keep her attention.

"Anyway, Joel got pushed around, talked bad about, beat up..." That did the trick. Her eyes were back on him, this time holding an angry look.

"Why would Dad just let them do that? Why didn't he fight back? He could've wrecked those guys in ten seconds flat!" Tommy motioned for her to calm down.

"Quit interrupting. I'm getting there.

So, I come across them one day beatin' up on him. He just sits there and takes it. Me, being a dumb eleven year old, go up and tell them to piss off. Well they didn't like that too much. Started calling me names. This one guy, huge teenage meat sack, he swings at me. He didn't even get to blink before Joel was on 'em. That fight had to have been legendary. The littlest kid in school puts three bullies in the nurses office without getting so much as a scratch on himself."

Ellie was in awe, gaping at the story. She blinked. "He protected you because you're his brother, right?"

He nodded again with tears in his eyes. "Sure did. Those guys never laid a hand on Joel or me ever again. Joel got bigger, stronger, and a lot more intimidating after that. No kid with a brain wanted to pick a fight with him. 'Ventually, when we got to high school, some girl was brave enough to talk to him and next thing I know, Sarah's sitting in my lap." Tommy finished with a sad look at the floor. It seemed like a day ago. One minute he had newborn Sarah in his arms, laughing and joking with Joel. The next he was digging her grave and praying Joel and him would survive through the night.

He looked up when Ellie said something. "What?"

"I asked if you could tell me more about Dad's past," she said hopefully. He looked at her, and for the briefest, tiniest moment, he saw pale blue eyes staring back.

"Maybe one day, kiddo."

* * *

**A/N**: Ahhhhh, wasn't that refreshing? I must say (forgive me if I sound a bit cocky) that might've been the best thing I've wrote yet. Had some very family-ish vibes going on. I honestly have no clue where that little piece of fluffiness came from. Maybe eating chocolate at 11:30 PM just has that effect on me.

Lemme know if you liked it!

**CREDIT FOR IDEA GOES TO TONIFONI! **

He/she said: "_Ellie hanging out with Tommy? :D_"

At first I was like, "well wouldn't it just be extra awkward?" But then I had an explosion of clarity. It was perfect. So thank you so much, friend! Couldn't have done it without you!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Idea by Guest. I probably screwed it up. Sorry, Guest. My inspiration is being sucked away by school. That is all.

**Rascal: a mischievous or cheeky person.**

Ellie ambled up to the Trading Post**,** or shack if you want to get technical, and pushed open the door. It made a jingling sound that alerted the old man behind the counter. He looked up.

"Ah. 'S you again. I suppose the old man's too busy?" Franklin said with a hint of humor. Ellie just shrugged noncommittally.

"He's not that old," she replied casually. He wheezed as he laughed.

"Darlin'," the trader said, making her scowl. She hated that name. "If he ain't old, I'm the richest man on earth."

Ellie bit her tongue to keep from snapping at the man, something she'd been doing a lot of since they settled here, and reached in her bag for a couple guns and boxes of bullets. With a firm look of seriousness, she slid the items on the counter. The old man frowned as he realized his game was over.

"Let's get down to business. I need some sleeping pills and salt," said Ellie. Franklin shook his head.

"I can give you the pills for a gun." Guile old bastard, she thought, always asking too much because he's the only trader around.

The young girl idly tapped her fingers on the wood. She narrowed her eyes, suspiciously staring at the codger.

"And the salt?"

"Sorry, Darlin', I'm all out of salt. Fellow by the name of Greg bought the last bit this morning," Franklin answered, a little afraid of the reaction. After all, this was the resident badass. Not that he believed the ludicrous tales told about her and that guy.

"Fuck you, Greg," Ellie muttered sourly. She let her eyes dart to the items for trade. Something shiny peeking out from a large sheet caught her attention. Tilting her head to the direction if the object, Ellie asked, "What's under there?"

The man's eyes sparked and he moved towards the object. "Oh, something I think you'll like."

He removed the sheet with a flourish. The teenager's eyes grew wide as she recognized the ancient treasure.

A tarnished, blue bicycle with a shiny copper bell on the handlebar stood on its kickstand in front of her. Flabbergast, she looked closely at the vehicle. It seemed to be in acceptable condition. The chain wasn't rusted and the wheels looked okay. Not even the bell looked broken. Ellie reached out to test it when a crusty, wrinkled hand slapped hers.

"Ah-ah-ah! You touch it, you buy it, Darlin'," Franklin told her as he smirked. She almost glared daggers at him but manage to calmly ask how much.

"For you? Only a gun and two boxes."

"I'll take it," Ellie said hurriedly. She couldn't wait to show Joel. Imaging his shocked face was almost enough to make her laugh.

Franklin cackled quietly to himself as he bagged up the bottle of pills. He couldn't hardly sell that thing to a sane person for one box and now he'd gotten a gun and two boxes. Foolish, innocent, young girl.

"That'll be two guns and two boxes all together, Darlin'," the trader stated. Ellie sighed as she pushed the above into his arms.

"He'll kill me if he finds out how much I spent," said Ellie lowly. "At least it's worth it."

Franklin nearly lost it and burst out laughing.

As the young girl pushed the bike out, bag of pills in hand, the salty codger waved. "Have fun, ya scoundrel!"

"Go to hell, ya bastard," she replied but Ellie said it to herself so she wouldn't get in trouble.

Racing the rest of the way home, Ellie nearly crashed into the front steps as she skidded to a halt.

"Joel! Get your ass out here! I've got a surprise," She yelled, slamming the door and tossing the bag on the end table. There was a clanging from the kitchen where Joel was attempting to cook dinner.

"Hold on, I nearly burnt the house down from the little heart attack you gave me," he said when she walked in the room. Ellie stuck out her tongue at him.

"Sorry, I'm just excited. Guess what."

"You actually got what I asked you to get this time?" Joel guessed hopefully. She never returned with what he asked her to get. Either it was sugar instead of salt, or not enough carrots, or the wrong kind of bullets, or even completely forgetting what she was going for, sending Ellie to the trading post was a bad idea. He wondered why he kept doing it.

Ellie responded, "Well, no, but-"

Joel cut her off. "Ellie," he started, and she despised that disappointed and chastising tone. Waving her arms animatedly, she managed to stop the oncoming rant.

"Just hear me out, Joel! I got a bike."

He dropped the spoon in the sink. "You did what?"

"I got a bike," she repeated as she played with her hands. "It was cheap and it looked so nice and I'm pretty sure it works. It's even got a bell. Will you teach me how to ride? You know how to, don't you? Of course you do. Silly question." Ellie said it all in a single breath.

"If you really want to, I guess so," Joel said slowly. She beamed and tugged him towards the door.

"Wait, you wanna learn now?" Joel said, very lost. A bike, He was thinking, How in the hell did she get a BIKE in the apocalypse?

"Well fucking duh! The sooner, the better."

He fumbled with the knot of his apron as he followed her to the yard. He hated the damn thing but it was better than singeing his favorite shirt.

When he reached the lawn and got a good look at the bike, he was actually impressed. It was in rideable shape, unlike he had expected. Its baby blue color kinda reminded him of Sarah and her bike.

"It's fucking awesome, right?" Ellie said smiling. Joel tested the bell. It rung loud and clear.

"Yeah it is. Alright, hop on an' we'll get started," Joel instructed. She shifted her weight uneasily.

"Er...how do you get on?"

He rubbed his head thoughtfully. "Move back, I'm gonna show you."

"Okay," she stepped away from the bike, "But if you break it, I'll be pissed."

He ignored her. Joel mounted the bike and pushed off carefully. A few seconds of bumbling about later, he was rolling down the dirt road. He turned sharply after ten feet or so. Too sharply.

The bike skidded to one side, throwing Joel on the ground.

"Fuck!" Ellie cried, darting over to him. "Shit, Joel, are you okay?"

Joel wiped the sandy soil of his face. "'M fine. Damn bike doesn't turn too well."

"So that's one way not to ride."

He snapped, "Shut up," as she laughed. She sat down beside him.

"You wanna know something funny?" Ellie said between chortles. He wearily looked at her.

"I know how to ride a bike." She burst out laughing at his scowl and fell back on the dirt.

"Dammit, Ellie!"


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: guys, I'm so sorry but this is an original idea not one by the readers. I just heard that song, "Rude" by Magic! and I had a moment of genius. So sorry, and I will be doing you guy's ideas on the next chapter.

Also, the idea box is now closed for a while. It may open up again after a finish writing the ideas, (most of you really wanna see Ellie react to stuff from Before and I have a good amount to write.)

Has anyone seen the line break button? I can't find it.

Anyway, bring on the story!

**Irreverent: lacking appropriate seriousness, disrespectful.**

**or**

**Prick: a man regard as stupid, unpleasant, or contemptible.**

That boy again, Joel thought with a growl.

There was a teenager that was infatuated with Ellie. He was the worst boy Joel had seen in a while. His arrogance was unbelievable. The boy thought he could have anything. He acted as if he was above everyone else. The kid was stupid, and last attack, he'd hid in the safe room and pissed his pants when the bandits came for him. Unfortunately, Ellie arrived just in time to stop the bandits from taking out the trash. Since then, the brat had been obsessed with Ellie.

Joel threw open the door and glared at the boy. Wilkerson was his last name.

"Where's your daughter?" Wilkerson said, ignoring Joel's hard stare.

Though Joel and Ellie had repeatedly told him they weren't related, Wilkerson stubbornly kept his views. Moron. They didn't even look the slightest bit the same.

"Away," Joel barked. Before he could slam the door in the boy's face, Wilkerson slipped past him and walked right in.

"Don't be ridiculous, I saw her in her bedroom."

Ellie was home, except she was supposed to be in the shower. Joel felt his temper, and suspicions, rising.

"You what?"

"I saw her. You know, she hides a smokin' bod under that sweatshirt," Wilkerson said. Joel couldn't find the words to describe how furious he was, instead he settled on gritting his teeth and flexing his hands.

"Get. Out."

"Nah, I'm good. Hey, by the way, I was talking to my bro and he said I had to ask you before I started seducing Ellie."

"Fuck no!" Joel nearly screamed at him. It was one of the rare times he used a strong curse. Ellie must've been influencing him.

"Whatever, I'm sure Ellie would love to please me. Who cares what you say, old man?"

Joel had a short fuse. Recently he had been trying to lengthen that fuse. Wilkerson lit it when he walked it and the flame had just reached the end. Cocking his arm back, Joel prepared to knock the boy's teeth out.

"The fuck's going on down here?!" Ellie demanded from the top of the stairs. Her hair was dripping wet and she replaced her usual green sweatshirt with her simple long sleeved shirt. She still wore her faithful pair of jeans.

"Nothing, babe, we were just talking," Wilkerson said. He let his eyes wander shamelessly over Ellie. Joel tried not to reach over and rip the kids head off.

Ellie rolled her eyes, letting them settle on the enraged man.

"Joel, what's wrong?"

Seething, he simply glared at Wilkerson. Ellie noticed he was nearly drooling over her. She quickly connected the dots.

"Peter, I think it might be time for you to leave," she said, descending the rest of the stairs.

The ignorant prick had the audacity to actually smack her on the ass as she walked by. Ellie spun around, shocked and furious.

"What the fucking hell was that?"

"What? Don't tell me you didn't like it, slut."

Before he had the time to blink, Joel was on him, beating the living crap out of him. After he had effectively given the kid a matching pair of black eyes and a most definitely broken nose, Ellie managed to pull Joel off.

"Joel, quit it!" She yelled, standing between the two. Joel opened his mouth. Then he snapped it shut as the Wilkerson spoke up.

"Heh, knew you wanted my dick, Ellie. How could resist all this?"

The red head faced him with a sweet smile. "Yeah, you know want I gonna do with you're dick?"

Wilkerson was grinning, holding his bloodied nose.

"I gonna rip it off and shove it up your fucking ass, you sick motherfucker!"

Wilkerson, finally, realized he was in deep shit. He scrabbled to stand, but Ellie was faster. He collapsed on the ground, whimpering pathetically as he cradled his injured appendage. Ellie gave him one last kick to the stomach.

"Ellie, baby girl, I think that's enough. We don't wanna kill him."

"Speak for yourself. Ugh, I need another shower," Ellie said. She could almost feel that sick pervert's hands on her and it made her stomach churn.

Joel caught her in his arms before she slipped away. "Hey, I'm not gonna let anyone do that to you. Not that you'd need any help fending them off."

She made no comment, simply burying her head into his chest. Sniffling quietly, Ellie held onto Joel like a life preserve. Joel let her tears soak his shirt. He rubbed small circles on her back.

Eventually, Ellie calmed down. She pushed herself away from Joel.

"Thanks," she whispered hoarsely. Joel's lips quirked upward in a rare smile.

"Anytime. Go on, take your shower. I gotta figure out what I'm gonna tell Tommy."

Ellie laughed, a sound he didn't hear a whole lot anymore.

"Tell him that Peter Wilkerson is a asshole and he deserved worse than that but we held our tempers. This time."

Joel snorted in amusement as he hauled the bleeding, unconscious boy outside.


	13. Chapter 13

**I have no clue what was going through my head as I wrote this but I thought you guys might like it. It's very metaphoric. I think.**

**Traumatized: subject to lasting shock as a result of an emotionally disturbing experience.**

Once, when it stormed as they trekked through the country and Joel had to call for a stop, he allowed her to cuddle him. Just this once, he'd said to himself, just for tonight and then it's back to being detached.

But as the nights grew progressively colder, the more he let Ellie snuggle up next to him. It was like a sort of illness, sneaking up on him, only truly revealing itself when it was to late to stop it.

He noticed she gripped the blanket more and more every night, nightmares growing and preying upon her. The only time he brung this up was when she awoke in tears. Other than that it was push ahead. Everyone had nightmares. It was inhuman not to have them in this time and age. So he never really worried about intangible bad dreams.

Until Winter came.

Winter, true to form, was cold, harsh, and unforgiving. It's snowy drifts covering all life, killing it. The few survivors of the snow were fragile and scarred. The thriving devoured. Fed upon the weakened animals and, when there were no more weak animals, each other.

Ellie pulled through. Scarred and broken no doubt, but alive. That's all he could ask for.

Many sleepless nights were spent guarding from the nightmares, both his and hers. And whilst she twitched and cried out in her fitful sleep, Joel would watch for a second with a throbbing heart. The awakening was always dreadful. She'd muffle a scream of terror and fight him until she realized it was Joel. Then she was crying into his chest until she fell asleep to repeat the cycle.

A month passed before the night terrors began to fade. Now only a few a week, they both began to regain sleep.

But there were still nights were Ellie just needed to be close to him. To know he was still there. Joel was still breathing, still protecting her until the storm ceased and the last rain drop fell.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys. So bad news. I'm leaving the LOU fandom for a while. I'll come back one day, maybe after LOU 2, but for now, there will not be Last Of Us fanfiction. Unless I get a really good idea or something. I'm moving on to TMNT, so if anyone likes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I'll be writing about those dorks for the time being. **

**No it's not just for kids shut up.**

**Remnants: a surviving trace.**

It was another half-empty house. They savaged, raided, and looted for everything they could. Sometimes Joel would accidentally grab something that didn't matter, like a box of Corn Flakes that had gone to the bugs years ago, because he was in such a hurry to move on. They couldn't stop, the infected rules this town, more than he could ever count. If they heard or saw him, the pair were trapped from all sides.

Joel waded through a sea of clothes and nicknacks to get to the closet. He noted the winter jackets at his feet.

"Ellie," he called quietly as he collected the useful items. She has at his side in a instant.

"Get some clothes for you. It's getting cold again, and I doubt any of your old ones will fit."

She nodded and knelt to sort through the pile. Joel picked up a can full of buttons and other clothing ends.

"Joel, what's this?" Ellie said, a tad louder than he would've. He gave a withering glare.

Ellie was holding an old cellphone. Not one like they had right Before but one from the late 1990's. A gray, cracked Nokia. Damn, those things lasted forever. Joel missed those.

"It used to be way to communicate," Joel started, and glanced out the window. Clickers were turning towards the house. He shook his head at Ellie. They met each other's gaze and held a silent conversation.

'What?' Ellie non-verbally asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Be quieter.' Joel glared.

'Sorry, I get excited.'

'I noticed.'

'Jerk.'

He rolled his eyes as he turned back to the closet. It was mostly empty, except for a shiny, metallic object in the left corner. Curiosity overtook him. Joel bent to pick it up.

Ah, a key chain. The things you bought but never really got around to putting them on your keys. He remembered Sarah asking him for one when they went somewhere, even though she had no place to put it. This one, he mused as he turned it over, read Tyron in sparkling, red letters.

Joel's expert ears picked up something entering the house. Shooting a pointed look at Ellie, who was in the halfway through taking off a purple jacket, he hurriedly crept to the edge of the stairs. Sure enough, a clicker was standing in the parlor and staggered out of sight.

'Damn' he cursed internally. Time to go.

He slipped back into the bedroom. Joel tapped Ellie's shoulder (a signal they'd created), then motioned to the shattered window. It was completely out. They squeezed through and landed with a very quite thump on the roof.

"Where are we going with this?" Ellie murmured to him. He shrugged.

"I'll figure it out," Joel replied, his voice no louder than a fly fart on the noise scale. Giving him a look, Ellie sneaked around the edge of the roof.

"Haystack," she whispered. He cautiously leaned over.

There was a conveniently placed haystack just a few feet from edge. The clickers were scattered fifty feet away from it. They might just be able to make it.

Ellie stood.

"If we make this jump, you are so telling me what you picked up in that closet." She leapt off the roof and tumbled into the hay. Joel waited for her head to pop out, then jumped himself.

He tried to orient himself in the hay, but found it nearly impossible. Finally, a hand grabbed the sleeve of his tattered sweater. He was pulled out of the accursed pile. Ellie looked amused as he tried to get the hay out of his jeans. They looked at one another.

'Shut up.'

'I didn't say a word.'

'You are irritating.'

'I'm fucking adorable.'

Back home, Joel and Ellie unloaded their packs onto the kitchen table. They began to sort through it.

"Two bottles of disinfectant," Ellie said as she tossed him the bottles. He caught then deftly without looking up from separating various nuts and bolts.

"Twelve medium bolts and eight nuts. Didn't you pick up some soup?"

Ellie rummaged. "Yeah, five alarm chili or something like that. You think it'll be good?"

"Dunno. I hate hot stuff."

"No shit, I couldn't tell by the way you gagged on that sandwich and salsa combo last week. Who's fucking dumb idea was it to do that?" Ellie snorted.

"Tommy," Joel answered, sound annoyed, "thought my sandwich was too dry."

"Remind me to thank him. Funniest damn thing I've seen in weeks," Ellie teased.

"Hey, I didn't laugh when you fell off your horse."

"Yeah because I fell on you. You make a nice cushion. I should fall on you more often."

"For or on?" Joel murmured smirking. It was an ongoing joke between the two that most people thought they were a couple, though he could not figure why.

"Smartassery is my job. Now tell me about all this shit we picked up back there."

Joel, scratching the back of his head, scanned the table of contents.

He picked up the Nokia. "Doubt this'll work but, it's a phone."

"A radio?" Ellie clarified. He shook his as he fiddled with the smudged buttons. Some were stuck and the pound key was missing; overall it was in relatively good shape. There was no way the battery still worked though.

"It's like that but different. Radios don't work out of a certain distance. Phones can call anywhere in the world."

"That's the only difference?" She asked, looking over his shoulder. He punched the power button. The cracked screen lit up with the telltale logo.

"Well I'll be damned."

"Whoa, this thing fucking still works?" Ellie peered wide eyes at the phone.

"Didn't think it would but I guess someone charged it not long ago," Joel said. (Because fuck logic.) "These kind of phones had a record for being almost indestructible."

"Holy fuck. That's fucking awesome. Lemme try," said Ellie excitedly. Ellie reached around to pluck it from his fingertips when the screen went black. She glared up at him.

"Hey, what'd you do that for?"

Joel placed the phone on the counter. "I didn't do nothing. The battery ran out."

"Aw what? That sucks." Ellie looked longingly at the phone.

"Relax, I'll find a charger for it sooner or later."

Ellie perked up considerably, beaming at her partner. He turned to pick up the keychain.

"Keychain, right?" Joel nodded.

"Yeah, amazing how some things survived after all that."

(A/N yes that is a dumb ending shut up.)


End file.
